Hello, hoping to hear from current parents & students. We are international family, didn’t visit schools and cannot revisit, so getting all info from internet. Read lots of really great reviews on Westtown, and their website looks fantastic, but now that I research further, I see the reviews at sites other that boarding school review (where the recent ones are all glowing), and I also see some feedback that makes me wonder if that’s the same school - like mediocre academics, making the kids fit their mold, entitled or burned-out hippie faculty members, program becoming less challenging, unprofessional nurses, etc. These are a bit dated though.
Those who know Westtown, could you please let me know how strong the school is academically? Do these old concerns still exist? The new Head of school looks amazing, anyone knows what is going on at the school now? Thanks a lot!
Did you receive a Westtown decision yet?
@snapchat Yes we did
@Saragosa777 I know a family who is currently there and very happy. They feel like their son is academically challenged and they are thinking of applying for their daughter.
@NYCMomof3 Thank you very much for your reply!
I am always a bit skeptical of those online review sites. They tend to attract a lot of disgruntled folks. When 2 kids were expelled from our school, close to 10 years ago, theIR first act of retaliation was to go and leave scathing reviews on these. And they are still there…
I believe that at some point in the last decade, Westtown went through a number of big changes, including getting rid of their requirement that 100% of the students board for their last 2 years. Change is difficult, so wondering if the negative reviews coincided with some of that…
@gardenstategal yes that’s why we cannot 100% trust online reviews, so are looking for the feedback from the current parents. When you send your kid away to a BS, at least you want to be sure it is worth it, and the academics and school environment is right. Thank you for sharing your opinion!
and yes, most of the negative reviews were posted during 2012 - 2015, no later
@Saragosa777 By email?
yes, we got an email
Our daughter will be attending Westtown this Fall. We had a chance to visit a few times because we are relatively close (NYC). The school is fantastic and my daughter chose it over excellent NYC day school options. The campus is beautiful, the science facilities (labs, STEAM workspace), theater, dorms etc were impressive. If you have a chance read the bio for their new Head of School.
https://www.westtown.edu/page.cfm?p=1000691
We met her and she is so impressive and indicates a very strong future for WT.
I wouldn’t go by online reviews. Our daughter’s visit and our tour showed classrooms with engaged students learning with the Harkness method, furniture that moves around for discussion, group work. Students studying in a beautiful library, athletic fields, courts, a pool, a gorgeous lake with trails, a Meeting House that is an important part of the school community. I love that they have study hall in the evening and then mandatory lights out at 1030 pm. That is SO healthy for teens.
Their college exmissions are impressive and your child won’t be competing with a class packed full of legacies if that is something you are thinking about . We looked at some of the best day schools in the country when we were touring options in NYC. Our daughter had great day school choices but thought Westtown was the best place for her and I totally agreed. They post a statistic on their website that says that 9/10 of their graduates graduate from the university they started at within four years compared to a national average of six years. I think this speaks to students who graduate knowing themselves and making a choice that sets them up for success. Academics are important to us and while I didn’t want a pressure cooker, I DO want to know that my daughter would be challenged and surrounded by peers who share her potential and intellect. There are extensive course offerings including advanced topics in the various disciplines. I am confident that this a school were a bright student will thrive. Good luck with your decision!
@bsmom2004 thank you for your answer! I read about their Head of School and liked what I read. I feel the same about academics - that’s very important but don’t want a sink or swim schools for my kid. And the proportion of the motivated and driven students at Westtown was exactly what I was wondering about.
Sorry I’m late with my reply, I was offline in a remote place for nine days.
Dear prospective Westtown parents, has anyone re-visited Westtown yesterday? If yes, would you please share your thoughts and discussions with current students & parents? Could you add anything to this thread with regards to my questions in the original post? Many thanks!
@Saragosa777, I am a current Westtown School parent. My daughter is a boarding 10th grader who started at the school in 2nd grade. There is no utopia, and I’m sure if you ask 10 people, you will get 10 different responses, but in our experience, our daughter is challenged academically and supported by her teachers, so she can push herself without feeling like she might fall off a cliff. She lives on dorm and really loves it. She also feels free to be entirely herself - a blessing for a teenager.
@Saragosa777 I answered you in great length (maybe too much length, hah) on your other thread asking about the Westtown re-visit, but I would just echo what @bsmom2004 wrote, 100%. My son will also be attending in the fall.